Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue says his administration spent $2.82 million (N4.53 billion) to service external loans between June 2023 and June 2024.

Mr Alia disclosed this in a statement signed by his chief press secretary, Tersoo Kula, on Monday in Makurdi.

The governor said Benue had not borrowed funds since his administration’s inception but paid the sum to reduce the state’s debt burden.

He further stated that the Debt Management Office’s (DMO) recent report confirmed that Benue’s external debt profile experienced a sharp decrease within the period under review.

“Recall that having inherited over 350 billion in debts from the previous administration, the administration has been cautious about taking loans despite initiating numerous projects across the state, with many already completed.

“We are changing the narrative for good governance and massively delivering dividends of democracy to the people.

“We are consistent in insisting that the future of the state comes first and has demonstrated the highest level of decision-making and resource management,” he said.

He further stated that the BudgIT release of the third quarter of 2024, States Fiscal Transparency League Table, indicated that Benue has moved to the ninth position from the 35th and 36th positions it had consistently shuffled since 2015.

(NAN)